anathema

American  

[uh-nath-uh-muh] / əˈnæθ ə mə /

noun

plural

anathemas

1. a person or thing detested or loathed.

   That subject is anathema to him.

2. a person or thing accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction.

3. a formal ecclesiastical curse involving excommunication.

4. any imprecation of divine punishment.

5. a curse; execration.

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anathema British  

/ əˈnæθəmə /

noun

1. a detested person or thing

   he is anathema to me

2. a formal ecclesiastical curse of excommunication or a formal denunciation of a doctrine

3. the person or thing so cursed

4. a strong curse; imprecation

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Etymology

Origin of anathema

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin, from Greek: “a thing accursed, devoted to evil,” originally “devoted,” from ana(ti)thé(nai) “to set up” + -ma, noun suffix

Example Sentences

"The path to rebuilding the right can only happen with the broadest possible spirit of unity, without exclusion and without anathema," he writes.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

Commercials were anathema to Hastings, but Netflix has now built an ad business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

“Apartment buildings are anathema to the city’s ethos.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

Going three years without winning a tournament is anathema to a man who seemed poised for a long run as world number one.

From BBC • May 13, 2025

Any book that postulated an escape, I would have thought, would have been anathema to the superintendent.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• bane
• pariah